LATE GOAL DOOMS WILD IN LOSS TO CHECKERS
Iowa Heads to Cleveland to Meet the Monsters on Friday
Mar 22, 2017CHARLOTTE, NC – The Iowa Wild (30-26-6-2, 68 points) were defeated by the Charlotte Checkers (32-27-4-0, 68 points) 3-2 on Tuesday night in front of 4,805 fans at Bojangles Arena. Iowa erased a 2-1 deficit midway through the third period only to surrender a late goal to Charlotte’s Connor Brickley as the Checkers sweep the two-game set and leapfrog the Wild for the fourth and final playoff spot in the Central Division. Charlotte goalie Tom McCollum (6-0-0) made 21 saves for the team’s sixth straight victory. Forwards Gerald Mayhew and Christoph Bertschy each scored in the Wild defeat. Iowa goalie Alex Stalock (19-15-7) suffered the loss despite making 24 saves on 27 shots. The Wild heads to Cleveland for a meeting with the Monsters on Friday at 6 PM CT.
Iowa opened the scoring with the first period’s lone goal at 17:56, as Christoph Bertschy scored his 10th goal of the season. The Wild carried the puck into the zone with Bertschy leaving the puck in the left circle for Tyler Graovac. The Wild center slipped a pass to the slot for defenseman Nolan Zajac, who fired a shot to the net. Bertschy shuffled the rebound past Checkers goalie Tom McCollum for the 1-0 lead.
The Checkers tied the game 1-1 with 4:17 left in the second period. Off a faceoff in the Iowa zone, Charlotte gained control and right wing Danny Kristo picked the puck off the wall near the right point. Kristo skated along the blue line to the point and feathered a shot through traffic and past goalie Alex Stalock to tie the game. Defenseman Philip Samuelsson and center Andrew Poturalski each had an assist on Kristo’s eighth goal of the season. The Checkers struck again before the period ended at 18:39, taking a 2-1 lead to the break. Defenseman Hayden Fleury snuck down the weak side and snapped a rebound past Stalock for the power-play goal. Center Kris Newbury and Samuelsson each had an assist on Fleury’s fourth goal of the season.
Iowa tied the game 2-2 at 10:42 of the final frame when Gerald Mayhew scored his third goal of the year. Wild forward Zack Mitchell worked the puck to the Charlotte slot for Zajac and he sent the puck to the Checkers net. McCollum kicked the rebound to Mayhew, who quickly snapped a wrist shot past the sprawling goaltender. The Checkers regained the lead for good with 2:23 left in regulation after creating a turnover in the neutral zone and counter attacking the Iowa zone with an odd-man rush. Connor Brickley took a pass off the right wing and cut towards the Iowa crease, sneaking a shot past Stalock for his 12th goal of the season. Andrew Miller and Fleury each had an assist for the final score at 3-2.
After a brief road trip with two games in Charlotte and two in Cleveland, Iowa returns home to play the Rockford IceHogs on Tuesday, March 28 at 7 PM. It is Kids Eat Free night, presented by Goodhue-Nolte Insurance and 96.5 Country. Fans may bring in a Subway receipt to purchase a ticket for only $5. It is also a mug club night.
Iowa welcomes the Chicago Wolves on Friday, March 31 at 7 PM. Race Car night is presented by NAPA Auto Parts and Freedom Tires. The first 1,500 fans to arrive receive a family car decal presented by Star 102.5. It is also $2 Beer night presented by 100.3 The BUS. Collegeville packs are available for purchase at the game, sponsored by KISS FM and Buffalo Wild Wings. The St. Patrick’s Day themed specialty jerseys, worn by the Iowa Wild for all three home games in March, are auctioned off at the live postgame jersey auction on Friday, Mar. 31.
2016-17 Iowa Wild regular season single-game tickets are on sale now. Follow the Iowa Wild on Twitter @IAWILD or like us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/iawild.
The Iowa Wild 2016-17 season is presented by Mercy Medical Center: and runs from October through April. Fans may purchase seats to see any of the team’s 38 regular season home games at Wells Fargo Arena. Season tickets to see the Wild play its 2016-17 season at Wells Fargo Arena start at just $10 per game. For more information on tickets, including ticket plans and group seating, please contact the Wild ticket office by calling 515-564-8700 or go to www.iowawild.com.
Fans may purchase single-game tickets multiple ways, either through the team's website – www.Iowawild.com, the Wells Fargo Arena box office or participating Hy-Vee food stores. Tickets are available online at www.Iowawild.com under the single game tickets tab. The Wells Fargo Arena box office is open Monday – Friday from 10:00 a.m. - 5:30 p.m., Saturdays from 10:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m. and closed on Sunday. For Saturday game days, the box office will open at 10 a.m. For Sunday game days the box office will open at 12 p.m. Fans may also purchase tickets by calling 1-844-55-HYVEE or by visiting participating Hy-Vee food stores locations in the greater Des Moines area. Those interested may also visit www.hy-veetix.com. Fans interested in buying full-season tickets, or smaller season packages may call the Iowa Wild front office at 515-564-8700.
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